No Ending at All
by clockworktrain
Summary: Tommy and Zaneeta's missing scenes in the 1962 film
1. Chapter 1

They were giggling like fiends as Tommy led Zaneeta running down the street away from the library and toward the Candy Kitchen. Tommy gripped both the bandleader's cane and the coins from Professor Hill in one hand, Zaneeta's wrist in the other. Inside the Candy Kitchen, they found themselves a corner spot, holding hands under the table.

"An authorized date," Tommy commented with a sly grin. "This Harold Hill fella might be more useful than I thought."

Zaneeta could only manage a breathless laugh. They hadn't been able to see much of each other in the days leading up to the Fourth of July and Mayor Shinn's 'exercises.'

"Papa will be furious when he finds out about this," Zaneeta giggled. She was in truth a bit scared of her father, especially when it came to Tommy, but it didn't stop her from seeing the boy from "the wrong side of town."

"What'll it be?" the soda jerk asked as he approached. With the money Professor Hill gave them, they split a banana sundae and felt like royalty.

"At least we know Gracie's at the library and can't tattle," Tommy chuckled as their treat arrived. For wanting to be so much like her sister – going where she goes, dancing how she dances – Gracie was particularly keen on sabotaging Zaneeta and Tommy.

They ate in silence for a moment before Zaneeta blurted out, "What if Professor Hill had picked some other girl?" It was something she had been thinking about all the way to the Candy Kitchen.

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean, there were a dozen of us heading toward the library, what if he'd beckoned to someone else?"

"He didn't." Tommy fed her the last bite of banana. "He beckoned to you. That's gotta be a sign or something, right?"

Zaneeta grinned shyly up at him, her eyes shining so blue it made his heart hurt. He cleared his throat.

"You know, Professor Hill asked me to help him with the band. Not to be in it, but he wants help inventing something and thinks I'm the one to do it!"

Zaneeta smiled proudly. "I'm sure he's right."

"Thinks I'm mechanically minded."

"And you are! Remember what you put together for the shaving cream prank?"

Tommy laughed. "It's too bad we never got to use it."

"Still, a firecracker behind the mayor's wife more than makes up for it," Zaneeta giggled. She wasn't at all mad about the prank, in fact she'd known about it in advance and thought it as funny as he did. She knew no one would be hurt, she just wished Tommy hadn't been caught. Both the mayor and the constable had it out for him, and sometimes it seemed like Zaneeta was the only one with his best interest at heart. She'd have to have words with Gracie when they were home again.

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**This is obviously very different from what I usually write, but I've been smitten with Z/T since I was a little kid, and I think they deserve to have their story told. I have a few more chapters written, both missing scenes and ideas for what happened after the film (1962) ended. Please review and tell me you want more!**


	2. Chapter 2

Miss Marian was utterly flustered when she realized what she had done: her slap had missed its mark and knocked poor Tommy Djilas to the floor, Zaneeta falling too as she tried to catch him. They had scrambled to their feet in time to see Professor Hill jauntily escaping the havoc he had wreaked, but Tommy was holding his jaw and Zaneeta was looking up at him in pity.

"I'm so terribly sorry, Tommy!" Miss Marian stumbled out, still a-flutter from recent events. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Tommy lied casually. He claimed it didn't hurt too much but his speech was stilted by his sore jaw. It wasn't quite enough to convince Miss Marian, but she had more librarian duties to attend to than ever before, with books strewn about the place and none of her usual work accomplished. She hurried down the spiral staircase as quickly as she could. What had so recently been a scene of absolute chaos was now quietly pretending nothing had happened. The patrons who remained in the library were silently reading at tables or perusing the stacks, pretending it had been a simply normal evening at the River City Public Library.

Upstairs, Zaneeta led Tommy back to the shelf where they were reading before.

"How are you really?" she whispered.

"My ear's ringin' and my jaw hurts something awful," he confessed, slurring his words a bit from the pain. He chuckled. "Promise me you'll never hit me like that."

"Of course I promise!" she said in wide-eyed earnest. "Why would I ever hit you?"

He shrugged, wiggling his stiff jaw.

"Should you see a doctor?" Zaneeta asked, putting a hand on his jaw. Tommy felt like a lovesick fool, but her touch really did make him feel better. Didn't he hear that in a song somewhere? Probably from the schoolboard as they roamed about town singing romantic tunes.

"I'll be alright if you stay with me," he flirted with a wink. It was then she knew that he really would be alright, and she reopened the book she had been reading over his shoulder, holding it out for them both to see. Tommy had picked it out, preferring nonfiction, and it was about Edison and his inventions. Zaneeta knew Tommy was fascinated by the workings of machines, and though it bored her to tears, she dutifully held out the book and turned the pages when his eyes reached the end of the line.

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**pls review me. pls.**


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